Gov. Mike Pence sent a letter Friday to state superintendent of public instruction Glenda Ritz and the state board of education to offer to help them work together. / Star file photo

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Gov. Mike Pence has asked a national group to mediate the infighting between state superintendent of public instruction Glenda Ritz and the state board of education.

In a letter to them, Pence said he had asked the National Association of State Boards of Education to facilitate a discussion between the feuding sides over board governance and responsibilities.

Ritz, a Democrat, leads the board, which is made up of members appointed by Pence, a Republican, or his GOP predecessor. Ritz recently pursued an unsuccessful lawsuit against the other board members, accused them and the governor of trying to take over education policy in the state, and walked out of a meeting Wednesday amid discord.

Ritz rebuked the governor’s letter today in a statement and said her conflict is not with the board members. Instead, she pointed to the governor’s creation of a new Center for Education and Career Innovation, which she says strips power from her department.

“If Governor Pence is serious about resolving this issue, he needs to engage with Superintendent Ritz directly rather than through the media,” Ritz’s spokesman said in a written statement. “For the Governor to claim that this can be resolved without his direct involvement shows that he simply has not been listening.”

The statement called for Ritz and the governor to meet to resolve the issue before involving others in the dispute.